This is a review of our loose leaf herbal Organic Ginger Root. It was reviewed by liber-teas of The Tea Review.

Over the last couple of days, I’ve been battling a stomach issue. I don’t know if it is a bout with the stomach flu or if it is the result of something I ate (as this did occur after about six hours following a trip to a teriyaki grill place I had never visited before). What I do know is that I feel terrible and have been having symptoms that I am not going to discuss … why? Well, mostly because that’s probably not why you’ve tuned in to this review. Just believe me when I say it has not been an enjoyable couple of days.

One thing that made it a little better is ginger teas. I’ve enjoyed several others that I’ve had in my stash until I came across this package from Element Tea. And now that I’ve found this, I really don’t need anything else. This is just what the doctor ordered! (Assuming, of course, that I’ve seen a doctor, which I haven’t… but just play along, won’t you?)

This is pure, organic ginger root from Indonesia. Nothing else. But then, nothing else is needed. This is delicious just the way it is, and it is incredibly soothing and helps to calm the upset in my stomach. It has that peppery, ginger-y taste that you’d expect, but interestingly enough, it doesn’t taste as strong as some ginger blends that I’ve tasted. There is a mellow sophistication to this ginger that is a welcome surprise.

If you’re looking for a ginger tea to keep on hand during times of digestive distress, I would recommend this one. Infusing this spice for just eight minutes and adding a drizzle of honey makes for a very comforting and delicious cup of relief!

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This is a review of our loose leaf green tea Jasmine With Flowers. It was reviewed by liber-teas of The Tea Review.

I do adore jasmine tea, and this is a delightful one! It smells almost as good as it tastes … almost!

Actually, one of the things I love most about jasmine tea is the act of inhaling deeply, meditatively, just before sipping and allowing that fragrance to permeate my senses. This not only is a pleasurable olfactory experience, but it intensifies the jasmine flavor as the tea washes over the palate.

This medium-bodied tea is so smooth and rich in texture. The flavor of the jasmine is sweet with sharp tones, and I like how that sharpness seems to cut through some of the mouthfeel just enough so that it doesn’t linger and end up feeling too heavy. Also cutting through the mouthfeel is a light drying astringency at the tail.

The green tea has a soft vegetative flavor that is not what I would call grassy. It is more like freshly steamed vegetables. It is fresh and mellow and melds nicely with the jasmine notes – giving this cup a very springtime taste.

Jasmine tea does not need sweetening, and while I don’t think it would harm a jasmine tea to sweeten it, I do suggest exercising some restraint so that the tender flavors of the jasmine are not overwhelmed by the sweetener. I love this tea served hot or iced, in fact, this is one of my favorite iced teas in the summertime! So flavorful and refreshing!

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This is a review of our loose leaf black tea Assam Satrupa FTGFOP1. It was reviewed by The Little Yellow Teapot of The Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews.

Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 4 mins.
Tea type: Black
Dry leaves: Broken leaf pieces, black color, faint aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time — 4 mins.
Aroma, plain — Strong and typical of Assams
Taste, plain — Strong, slightly bitter, toasty/malty, packs a punch!
Color, plain — Dark reddish-brown
Taste, enhanced — Milk and sweetener bring out malty/caramelness

2nd Infusion:
Steeping time — 5 mins.
Aroma, plain — Lighter
Taste, plain — Light, not bitter even as it cools
Color, plain — Lighter reddish-brown
Taste, enhanced — Too light for milk

Comments:
As with the other samples from this vendor, the foil-lined pack held a lovely sight: large tea leaf pieces, not dust in a bag. Bravo! While hubby and I realize that teadust does not always mean inferior quality nor do larger pieces, like this tea has, indicate better quality. However, they do mean that the steeping will be a bit more measured, not quite so immediate. It gives you more chance to “play” with the tea, steeping it longer or shorter to suit you.

After steeping, the stem and pieces show clearly and are a dark coppery color.

This is a fairly strong tasting tea, which was a bit surprising for an Assam like this. Not complaining. Quite the contrary. Hubby says it packs quite a tea punch, perfect for a breakfast tea. It takes milk well in the first steeping (the second one was a bit too light). With or without milk, some type of sweetener is necessary for us. If you like your tea plain, you might try rinsing the leaves briefly before the first steep (pour a little hot water over them in the pot, swish, then drain and add the rest of the water and steep. Another option is to do two steepings and combine them to give a lighter taste.

I was hoping that hubby could whip up some more pancakes to go with this tea as he had with another tea we had tried recently, but he had already had some toast and yogurt, so he was full. You might say, “You could fix them yourself.” I would have to answer, “Yeah, right!” Instead, I just had some yogurt and grapes with the tea.

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This is a review of our loose leaf black tea Afternoon Pick-Me-Up. It was reviewed by The Little Yellow Teapot of The Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews

Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 4-5 mins.
Tea type: Black
Dry leaves: Big leaf pieces; light, basic black “tea” aroma

1st Infusion:
Steeping time — 4 mins.
Aroma, plain — Malty, sweet, floral
Taste, plain — Strong, floral, some bitterness
Color, plain — Brownish-red
Taste, enhanced — Milk and sweetener bring out floral

2nd Infusion:
Steeping time — 5 mins.
Aroma, plain — Malty, sweet, floral
Taste, plain — Milder, floral, not bitter
Color, plain — Brownish-red
Taste, enhanced — Smooth, slightly floral

Comments:
We opened the foil-lined pack and once again saw a lovely sight: large tea leaf pieces, not dust in a bag. The vendor says that this is a Darjeeling tea from one of that area’s best known estates (they just told us it was the Margaret's Hope Estate). We didn’t know this before trying the tea. Quite frankly, after trying it we would have guessed more of a Keemun or other black tea, due to the floral character of the flavor, not a muscatel character. This does not mean this is a bad tea. We just want you to be prepared. The tea is not like a lot of Darjeelings we’ve had. In fact, it was a touch bitter on the first infusion, which we’ve not experienced from Darjeelings as far as I can remember.

The tea leaves were broken up a bit in the processing, but not ground to dust. After steeping, the stem and pieces show quite clearly.

We tried both the first and second infusions both plain and with a little milk and sweetener. Again, we had no inkling that this was a Darjeeling, but I think we would have tried it with milk anyway. The first infusion was stronger and slightly bitter, so at least some kind of sweetener was needed. The milk, though, added a very nice dimension and smoothed over the bitterness. It also seemed in both infusions to bring out the floral character of the tea.

Despite the non-Darjeeling character, we like this tea and are very impressed at getting two very good infusions from it. As for it living up to its name, we can say here, “Yes!” We definitely felt very picked up after the taste test.

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This is a review of loose leaf black tea Nepalese Orange Pekoe SFTGFOP1. It was reviewed by by The Little Yellow Teapot of The Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews.

Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 4 mins.
Tea type: Black
Dry leaves: Broken leaf, dark-to-light green and copper color, fresh aroma

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain — Richly nutty
Taste, plain — Light taste, slightly astringent
Color, plain — Light amber
Taste, enhanced — Sweetener tames astringency, more nutty

2nd Infusion:
Aroma, plain — Lighter, still nutty
Taste, plain — Light taste, slightly astringent as cools
Color, plain — Light amber
Taste, enhanced — Sweetener tames astringency

Comments:
If you like your black tea without milk, here is another one to add to your list. A bit of sweetener may be needed to curb the slight astringency.

The SFTGFOP1 means Special (or Super) Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe of the first quality. (The numeral “1” gets added sometimes as almost an exclamation point, as in “This is really good tea!”) See more info on this labeling system.

The tea leaves get broken up a bit in the processing, but they don’t get ground to dust. After steeping them, you will see the stem and pieces clearly.

We found the first steeping to be a bit astringent and needing some sweetener, but it was too light for milk. Hubby experimented to confirm this. The second steeping was milder and only became a bit edgy as it cooled, as is often the case with black teas. A touch of sweetener solved the problem, though. One thing you might try is to do two steepings and combine them. Sure the first one will cool a bit, but it’ll warm up when added to the second one and then only need that touch of sweetener, or just have something sweet to eat with it.

Overall, this is another nice tea from the tea ladies in the Mile High City of Denver. It deserved being sipped from one of our finer floral teacups.

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This is a review of our loose leaf tea black tea, Lilac. It was reviewed by by liber-teas of The Tea Review Blog.

Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Element Tea

Product Description:
Smells just like the first blossoms of spring. Fresh, yet mild, real lilac petals bring this fragment flower right to your taste buds.

Taster’s Review:

Lilacs remind me of my gramma. She had a big, beautiful lilac bush in her backyard, and every spring as it came into bloom her yard became such a lovely, fragrant place to spend the afternoon. Since that time, lilacs have come to mean springtime to me, and the source of many happy memories.

This tea brings those memories to life right here in my teacup!

The dry leaf of this black tea is alive with color, thanks to a generous sprinkling of lilac petals. They add a beauty and a charm to this tea … not to mention a delightful fragrance!

The black tea base is a brisk, bright tasting black tea. It isn’t an overly aggressive black tea. There is a light, drying astringency to the tea. Overall, the tea is fairly mellow, and adds a smooth tranquility to the overall flavor of the cup, making this a pleasing afternoon tea.

The lilac flavor is rather unexpected! Of course, I knew that it was a “lilac” tea, but I don’t really recall ever having tasted lilac tea before, so, I didn’t know what to expect from it. It has an enchanting, sweet floral flavor to it. In trying to grasp for a way to describe the flavor … the word I come up with is serenity.

It is a very serene, relaxing tea, and I have enjoyed it immensely, as well as the memories it has evoked. Thank you, Element Tea, for this amazing trip down memory lane!

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This is a review of loose leaf black tea

Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 4 mins.
Tea type: Black
Aroma, dry leaves: Mild, fragrant

1st Infusion:
Steeping time — 4 mins.
Aroma, plain — Lightly reminiscent of a malty Assam
Taste, plain — Touch of astringency, otherwise mild
Color, plain — Ruby brown
Taste, enhanced — Smooth, basic black tea flavor, not caramelly
2nd Infusion:
Steeping time — 4½ mins.
Aroma, plain — Faint
Taste, plain — A bit more astringent, but pretty nice
Color, plain — Lighter, orangey-brown

Comments:

We opened the foil-lined pack and saw a lovely sight: large tea leaf pieces. So very wonderful. No dust in a bag. The larger pieces, though, mean a gentler steep. The dust steeps up fast and strong. That’s one reason why it’s become so widespread. This tea, made from full leaves as indicated by the OP1 (Orange Pekoe 1), steeps up more mild than the teadust stuff.

The tea takes milk well in the first infusion. A touch of sweetener suited us fine. If you like your tea plain, just cut back on the steep times, with 3 minutes for the first and 3½ minutes for the second. You could go 4 minutes on the second infusion to make it a bit stronger. Play around a bit to find out what suits you.

Overall, this is a nice, reliable, basic black tea to enjoy for breakfast or even your afternoon pick-me-up tea break. It’s tasty with scones, pie, cake, and just about anything you usually enjoy at teatime. Another nice tea from the tea ladies in the Mile High City of Denver.

Of course, those tea leaves get broken up a bit in the processing, but they don’t get ground to dust. After steeping them, you can see the stem and pieces quite clearly.

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This is a review of our loose leaf tea, Cream Caramel Rooibos. It was reviewed by by liber-teas of The Tea Review Blog.

Oh My Goodness! This tea smells so good! It smells just like creamy, sweet caramel with a hint of nutty deliciousness. As it brews the aroma intensifies which only increases the anticipation! YUM!

The flavor is delightful. I mean, really, why wouldn’t it be? It’s caramel!

The red rooibos base tastes nutty and a little woody. Other than that, though, the rooibos flavor is pretty undistinguished. The rooibos seems pretty content to let the flavors of caramel and cream do all the work in this cup.

And that’s great because the caramel and cream taste really good! Creamy, sweet, and rich like a piece of gooey caramel – but without the sticky mess and without all the calories and fat of a gooey caramel candy.

Element Tea describes this rooibos blend as:

The aroma alone will get your tummy turning. Caramel bits and silky cream blend together to create a dessert tea you will, undoubtedly, indulge in time and time again.

This is deliciously comforting served hot on a chilly evening – or if you really want to go wild, try it in a latte! I contemplated making a latte myself, but I found that the plain, hot cup (which was anything BUT plain) was so tasty that I couldn’t stop sipping it long enough to steam some milk and froth it for a latte! Perhaps you’ll have better luck with that, but if you enjoy caramel as much as I do, I doubt it!

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This is a review of loose leaf black tea Scottish Highlands. It was reviewed by by The Little Yellow Teapot. of The Little Yellow Teapot Tea Reviews. LYT has great tweets on Twitter, too!

Water temperature: 212° F
Steeping time: 4 mins.
Tea type: Indian black teas (not specified)
Aroma, dry leaves: Very light

1st Infusion:
Aroma, plain — Subdued maltiness, almost regal
Taste, plain — Mild, slight tang as cools
Color, plain — Ruby
Taste, enhanced — Smooth

2nd Infusion:
Aroma, plain — Faint
Taste, plain — Weak – not recommended
Color, plain — Lighter ruby

Comments:

Think of the Scottish Highlands: heather and mist, bagpipes wailing like the mythical Banshees, castles and lochs (lakes), and of course the men in their kilts! Got it? Great. Now, picture all of that with a cuppa this tea in your hand. Ah, a real tea moment!

The dry tea is good-sized pieces, which indicates this is more of an orthodox tea, not a CTC tea. The tea has a very faint aroma when dry. The sample came in one of those cute little packets that is foil lined. Unfortunately, they are not sealed, so air can get in. We don’t know if it affected this tea or not, but we think not. We suspect that the faint aroma is natural for this tea.

A frustration is that the company does not specify which teas were used. Hubby and I suspect an orthodox Assam and possibly a Nilgiri or some Autumn Flush Darjeeling.

One thing we always bear in mind is that the sample is a small portion of a larger batch and, as such, occasionally contains something — er — odd. In this case, it was a strange-looking stem with part of a leaf attached. We made sure this did not get into the teapot.

The aroma and flavor of this tea is about as mild as the Assam #1 we tried recently. Unlike that one, however, this one develops a faint tang as it cools, only a slight flaw since the tea tastes so good you’ll drink it all before it even has a chance to cool.

Like that other tea, this one has a flavor that doesn’t really need anything added. It is mild and pleasant. We tried it with stuff added anyway. Hubby likes it with just a touch of sweetener added. I like it with sweetener and milk. If you want to add either of these, remember “Easy does it!” The tea can easily get overwhelmed. If you like honey as a sweetener, use just a few drops.

I tried to get hubby to wear his kilt, complete with sporen and skeendoo, while we tried this tea but wasn’t successful. Sigh!

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This is a review of our decaf black tea Serenity. It was reviewed by by liber-teas on The Tea Review Blog

Wow! This is … decaffeinated? This is really good.

I still wrestle with the decaf demons of my past, having tasted far too many decaffeinated teas that just weren’t very good some years ago, I still experience a familiar cringe when I contemplate tasting another decaffeinated tea.

But, I really need to get past that (as I’ve said before!) because most (if not all!) of the decaffeinated teas that I’ve tasted in the past couple of years have been quite tasty. Serenity from Element Tea is a perfect example of that!

The flavor of this tea is rich and smooth and has a pleasant, full body. No thin tasting tea here! There is a moderate amount of dry astringency that hits the palate toward the end of the sip, and there is a savory bitter taste that hits just before the astringency. The astringency seems to clean the palate of the bitterness, so it is barely noticeable, but it does add a certain sense of depth and intrigue to the cup.

The fruity taste of the grenadine is sweet but not heavy, and is nicely complimented by the creamy vanilla tones. With these sweet tastes added to the decaffeinated leaves, it’s hard to believe that this is actually a decaffeinated tea. But it is! (or at least, that’s what they tell me!)

Element Tea describes this tea as:

This tea combines the decadent pleasures of delicious vanilla and grenadine. The warm and comforting finish will make this your tea of choice.

This was a very pleasant decaffeinated tea. It has a nice sweetness to it (taste it before you sweeten), and the creamy flavor can be intensified with the addition of milk if you wish. Because it is decaf, it is a tea you can enjoy any time of day. A really nice tea choice to serve to guests too!

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Tea Information:

Leaf Type: Oolong

Product Description:

Fine, long-twisted, single-stem leaves provide a light amber-yellow cup that carries a highly fragrant aroma of honeysuckle and almond. This Oolong has a smooth, delicate finish that you won’t forget.

Taster’s Review:

This is an excellent Oolong. Of course, I say that often when it comes to Oolong as they tend to be my favorites. Well, my favorite is actually yellow tea, but, I have Oolong a lot more often because it tends to be easier to locate and a little more affordable. So, when considering these factors, I could easily argue that Oolong teas outshine yellow teas.

But enough of that. There is enough room in my tea cupboard (but not much room! haha!) for both yellow and Oolong teas.

This is a fine Oolong. The dry leaves are very dark and twisted, indicating that these are a deeply oxidized variety of Oolong. The leaves unfurl slowly and submit many flavorful infusions (which means more tea and a better value!) But, something else that is intriguing as the leaves unfurl, they reveal themselves to be a little bit more green than the dry leaf.

The first few infusions are smooth and slightly buttery. There is a nutty essence as well as a sweet, peach-like flavor in the background. There is also a floral quality to this tea.

The description provided by Element Tea suggests a honeysuckle-like fragrance and that aroma translates into the flavor as well, with a pleasant honeysuckle-esque taste and even a whisper of delicious, savory bitterness that introduces itself to the palate at about mid-sip and then seems to be quickly washed away by the sweet, nutty taste. That savory bitterness peaks out right at the finish too, and it is rather enticing!

By the third infusion, I taste a little less of the buttery taste and a little more of the floral note. The nutty flavor is still there, but, it is a little less sweet than before. These changes in taste are what I would call “transitions” – they are gentle and not in stark contrast to the previous infusions.

The later infusions are much like the third. I managed six very flavorful infusions from one measurement of leaves. I chose to brew this tea in my gaiwan, and I think that this is the best vessel for brewing a good quality Oolong such as this.

If you like Oolong … this one is an absolute must try! It has such a lovely, silky texture to it that treats the palate to so many wonderful layers of flavor. I love this tea!

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Over the last couple of years, I’ve grown rather fond of coconut flavored teas. This one may just be the best one yet!

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It definitely did relax me, I wound up falling asleep way before my bed time not long after finishing my last cup. I would definitely recommend this tea.

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This chai greets that calmness with equal amounts of tranquility and introduces a sense of comforting warmth.

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